Providing cows with comfort results in a significant increase in daily milk production. Comfort results in cows having less stress, eating more, and having overall less health problems. Hygiene also affects milk production.
After feeding, cows traditionally lie down in the pasture while chewing the cud, and there has been the problem that during severe winter weather and other periods of inclement weather when the cows are kept in a barn or similar structure the cows are uncomfortable and are not contented when lying down on a concrete or similarly hard floor of the barn. Furthermore, cows nowadays are typically being kept permanently in a barn or similar structure irrespective of the weather conditions. With the view to alleviating this problem various solutions have been proposed to render the feel of the concrete or similarly hard floor of the barn more akin to that of the pasture. Thus, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,195 (US '195) discloses an animal mattress comprising a fabric enclosure having a plurality of separate compartments within the enclosure, and comminuted resiliently deformable rubber from used vehicle tires disposed loose within each compartment. While such a mattress with compartments having comminuted rubber provides from the standpoint of the cow a degree of resiliency and feel which is very similar to that of the pasture, this alternative solution suffers from the disadvantage that the mattress has no internal structure, so each of the compartments expands to the natural maximum area, which is a circle. These circles provide uneven cushioning. The uneven surface also causes the mat to be more difficult to clean when used with cows or horses. The difficulty in cleaning can lead to poor health in the animals.
Another form of prior art is the air cushioning device with circular internal structure to limit the expansion when filled. This includes the typical air cushioning devices for human use or used as a spare bed. Air mattresses of the prior art use round vertical internal structures to help limit the flatness. Other types of air mattresses use tubes. For example see U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,371,999 and 6,568,011. These mattresses, however, are not designed to resist the weight imparted by large animals, such as cows or horses, and require regular refilling with air.
Air and water mattresses can be shipped in a small package to a remote site where the mattress can be filled with air or water at the remote site. However, mattresses other than air and water mattresses need to be shipped to the remote site with the filling material included in the mattress. These mattresses are, therefore, difficult to transport given their bulky structure.
What is needed is a cushioning device that is designed to create a substantially flat surface for cushioning that provides impact absorption and cushioning when lying down, that can withstand the weight of a large animal, such as a cow, that is comfortable for the animal, and that it is easier to transport and install. Keeping the surface of the mattress substantially flat may be important to ensure that the surface is easily cleanable, which helps the large animal stay healthy. What is also needed is a cushioning device for supporting a large animal which provides good cushioning, low shipping weight, low shipping volume, and easy installation.